Analogues are plants or chemicals used in place of the traditional constituents of the ayahuasca brew. Two of the most common are Peganum harmala and Mimosa hostilis, as replacements for the B. caapi vine, and DMT-containing admixture plants, respectively.
There has also been some experimentation with the use of pharmaceutical MAO-Is, most commonly Moclobemide, as well as extracted or synthesized DMT.
Is Syrian Rue + Mimosa (or another analogue) the same as Ayahuasca?
Experienced ayahuasca drinkers who have also had the opportunity to drink ayahuasca admixture brews, such as tea made from Syrian rue and Mimosa, generally conclude that the effects are substantially different. Most feel a strong connection to the ayahuasca vine, and understand this to be a fundamental, if not completely essential aspect of the ayahuasca experience and its healing properties.
Many have experienced profound healing and accessed visionary states not entirely unlike those produced by traditional ayahuasca brews, and most agree that modern analogue plants are extremely powerful and deserving of respect. However, analogue brews are not the same as ayahuasca and deserve unique status.
Aren’t B. Caapi and P. harmala alike chemically?
Many people think of the use of Banisteriopsis caapi and Peganum harmala as interchangeable. In truth they are both effective Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOI’s) but there is a definite difference both chemically and in the subjective experience.
P. harmala contains many alkaloids including but not limited to: VASICINONE, HARMALINE, HARMALOL, HARMAN, HARMINE, ISOPEGANINE, DEOXYVASICINONE. It contains mixed amounts of harmala alkaloids (mainly harmine and harmaline) from 2%-7% in the seed. The harmaline in P. harmala is a very efficient MAOI and is present in significant, but lesser amounts then harmine. Harmaline has been shown in large doses to be neurotoxic to animals by effecting the degeneration of Purkinje cells in the brain.
While doses of that magnitude are rarely taken, those that are concerned may look to Banisteriopsis caapi as a source of harmala alkaloids due to an almost negligent amount of harmaline present.
Banisteriopsis caapi has a slightly different chemistry with the same harmala alkaloids present but in different proportions. B. caapi contains between 0.2%-1.3% mixed harmala alkaloids. The major difference between P. harmala and B. caapi, is the levels of harmaline and tetrahydroharmine. In P. harmala, the levels of harmaline are much higher, (which may also explain it’s greater MAOI effectiveness) while levels of tetrahydroharmine are absent, or in lesser quantities then B. caapi. The higher levels of tetrahydroharmine in B. caapi may be responsible for the very different subjective effects, and maybe even it’s reported “telepathic” inducing qualities observed. When first isolated from B. caapi, the harmala alkaloids were named “telepathine”, until further research showed them to be chemically identical to the compounds in P. harmala. Although both plants contain very similar alkaloids and both serve as effective MAOI’s, it is important to point out that both chemically, and through subjective experiences using them, that they are different.
There are clear biochemical differences between the vine and rue.
Callaway, J.C., M.M. Airaksinen, Dennis J McKenna, Glacus S. Brito, Charles S.Grob (1994). Platelet serotonin uptake sites increased in drinkers of ayahusaca. Psychopharmacology 116: 385-387
This paper focusses on ‘Tetrahydroharmine’ (harman, 7-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro; harmine, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro; b-carboline, 7-methoxy-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro; 7-methoxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroharman; 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroharmine; 7-methoxy-1-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-b-carboline; 7-meo-thh; leptaflorine). It discusses how THH generates receptor sites for serotonin thus producing a long lasting antidepressant effect. THH occurs in much greater concentration in B. caapi than in other plants bearing ß-carbolines, such as Peganum harmala (Syrian rue). THH may be (according to Dr Alexander Shulgin) completely absent from Syrian Rue.
Also there is the issue of Syrian Rue toxicity :
Dr Shulgin :
“There are two additional alkaloids that usually appear as gratuitous components in these latter samples (Syrian Rue), namely, Vasicine and Desoxyvasicine. I have no knowledge what these Syrian Rue quinazoline compounds might contribute, positively or negatively, to the Ayahuasca experience, but my gut feeling would be to avoid them until you know their pharmacological properties. The second question relates to yet another beta-carboline alkaloid, Harman. This is a structural analogue of Harmine that has been stripped of its methoxyl group…. it also interacts directly with DNA and is thus a possible mutagenic agent.” http://www.alchemind.org/shulgin/adsarchive/ayahuasca_maoi.htm
Harman is only present in trace amounts in banisteriopsis caapi. In Peruvian Ayahuasca brews assayed by Dennis McKenna, harmine represented 65% of the alkaloidal fraction, tetrahydroharmine 22%, DMT 8% and harmaline only 6%. A typical dose of the combined beta-carbolines Harmine, Harmaline, and Tetrahydroharmine, in an Ayahuasca brew, has been estimated by Mckenna to be 28mg harmine, 10mg tetrahydroharmine, and 2mg harmaline. Harmaline therefore only constitutes a small proportion of the total alkaloidal makeup of ayahuasca. Yet Harmaline is the primary beta-carboline component of Syrian rue.
Recommended: “The Scientific Investigation of Ayahuasca ; A review of past and current research” by D.Mckenna, J.C Callaway and Charles S Grob. Its in the first issue of The Heffter Review of Psychedelic Research volume 1 1998.
Another important matter to bring up in this section is the use of P. harmala as an abortificant/emmanagogue. (Emmanagogue is a substance that contracts or acts on the uterus, strong emmanagogues can easily induce abortions). The non-MAOI alkaloids are most likely responsible for this action. Boiled extractions of seeds are recommended over consuming whole seeds, to avoid ingesting some, but not all of the compounds in question.
“Although harmel has been described recently as an aphrodisiac, it is used traditionally by Bedouins as an emmanagogue and abortificant, as well as for “narcotic” purposes, properties documented in animal experiments.”
Ott, Pharmacotheon p 202
“Besides the beta-carboline alkaloids, epigeal parts of P. harmala contain quinazoline alkaloids such as visicine (peganine) and vasicinone, which have uterotonic effects possibly accounting for the use of P. harmala as an abortificant, and the related Tribulus terrestris is used as an emmanagogue in Thai ethnomedicine….. and the vasicine containing Adhatoda vasica is used in Thai ethnomedicine as an anti asthmatic and in Indian ethnomedicine as an abortificant.”
Ott, Pharmacotheon p 204
Are Caapi and Rue brews experientially similar?
People who focus on DMT as the main “point” of the Ayahuasca experience, and regard the MAOI merely as a potentiator for the DMT, tend not to notice any difference between Caapi and Rue.
One of the reasons for this is that, in a Rue-based brew, only the minimum amount of Rue is used necessary to potentiate the DMT. Increasing the Rue beyond the minimum necessary would serve little purpose beyond increasing the sense of sickness.
People who are used to taking this approach will often use the same approach with Caapi — use the minimum amount necessary to potentiate the tryptamines.
Using the bare minimum of Caapi, and focusing only on the visionary DMT effects as the “main event” can result in the impression that Caapi and Rue are similar and interchangeable (and Rue is much cheaper, so go for the bargain).
The difference, however, is that the amount of Caapi can be increased — without limit — and increasing the amount of Caapi can add a dimension of its own, a dimension of rich depth — it adds the whole Caapi dimension to the experience.
The indigenous Amazonian perspective is that Ayahuasca is the vine, and the admixture plants are her “helpers.” It is no accident that the brew is called “Ayahuasca,” the name of the vine. Most of the common native names for the brew — Ayahuasca, Yage, Caapi, Natema, Caapi, Dapa, Mihi, Kahi, Pinde, Nixi, etc — are also names for the Vine, whereas there is no record of any group naming the brew for the tryptamine-containing admixtures. It took many decades for the importance of the admixture plants even to be recognized by ethnobotanists, because every indigenous group recorded as using Ayahuasca stressed the Vine, and not uncommonly use Vine alone, and admixtures vary widely while the Vine is the common denominator.
The Santo Daime view is of a “marriage,” a Sacred Synergy, between Vine and Leaf, the Power and the Light. (The analogy between the tryptamine plants and Light with which to see what is happening is also made in indigenous cultures.
Vine alone can be visionary in high enough doses, but the visions are different from tryptamine visuals. Vine visions tend to be monochromatic, even shadowy, and they mean something, when they come. It is not eye-candy!
Visions of the type recorded in Pablo Amaringo’s paintings may be considered a marriage of Vine visions and Tryptamine visuals, both with both at high levels.
But one of the advantages of Caapi over Rue, for the home brewer, is that iyou have used the minimum possible amount of Rue or Caapi to potentiate the Leaf, but it turns out your Leaf is weak, then basically you have nothing — a dud brew or a weak brew. If, on the other hand, you have used a large amount of Caapi, and your Leaf is weak, the Caapi experience alone, with little or even no tryptamine visuals, can be profound and transforming.
And if your Leaf is strong, on the other hand, the Vine spirit can help guide and support you in the frightening depths of the realms. You are not alone.
The Vine is a being, a sentient Presence, who cares about you and accompanies you no matter where you go in the cave. She tends to present herself with a strong sense of gender — people describe feeling from the Vine not just a female or male presence, but a “strong” male or female presence. It may be that it is easier for humans, as a gendered species, to be able to relate to another being if it presents itself as gendered.
The primary use of Ayahuasca in Amazonian shamanism is for healing. The Vine is experienced by many people as a being or presence who can heal, who knows how to heal. Or as the Santo Daime says, the Vine is the Power in the marriage of Power and Light, and that Power is above all power to heal, at very deep levels.
Comments on Banisteriopsis Caapi (Ayahuasca Vine) vs Peganum Harmala (Syrian Rue):
For me, the experience of rue is somehow crystalline – like diamonds running through the veins. To my system, it feels cold and inorganic – as if the body would be shredded to bits if a muscle is moved. I won’t ingest rue – it feels like poison to my system. Perhaps one day I’ll grow it, but it’s not for this human’s consumption.
Caapi feels warm, organic and wise – friendly to (and knowing well) the human system. I love the taste of the tea (perhaps because I only reduce it by half, when brewing). For me, Caapi is Ayahuasca. I often use it without any admixture except blowing mapacho into it while brewing.
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The first difference noticed was the level of intensity with which the trip kicks in. with 5meo or with a rue tea, I have always felt a very strong tryptamine rush; all of a sudden there’s a rip, a crash, and it has kicked in. after a time I became very scared of this, and was unable to handle it. With caapi, it comes on very slowly. As soon as I begin drinking, I begin feeling it, and an hour or so later I’m there. There is no harsh transition. Furthermore, I can feel the effects of the caapi; although I always felt that it was the rue communicating with me, not the mimosa, I never felt any effects from the rue itself other than nausea.
So the major differences, as I have experienced them-
Rue was female, caapi is male;
Rue is mostly only an maoi, while caapi has qualitative effects of its own;
Rue brings it on in a very intense fashion, while caapi is slower, smoother, perhaps more experienced/wiser;
Rue oscillates wildly between being really intense and not working at all, while caapi always works, but not in such an intense way;
With caapi, you aren’t restricted by the toxins found in rue and can use much larger amounts;
Taste- caapi is still very bitter, but it smells so nice and isn’t nearly as rough as rue.
With caapi I do always feel more aware, more “connected”. Rue just kind of opens up the floodgates, while caapi seems much wiser and more experienced; less erratic and more sure of what it is doing.
It also seems to have opened up a much deeper world, one with more facets than that of rue. Its obvious that there’s much more going on; not just a feeling that the universe is stranger than I’ve ever imagined, but how this directly affects me, particularly while dreaming. Its added a whole new twist; set and setting aren’t enough any more- there is much more to it than my own mindstate.
In the end, caapi is clearly “superior” to rue. Although it hasn’t shown me as much, it still seems much wiser, more steady and evenhanded.
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People who focus on the Vine have experiences that are qualitatively different in some important ways from those who focus on the DMT plants.
In other words, let’s say there are three groups: a) people who take Caapi-based brews focusing first on Caapi, b) people who take Caapi-based brews focusing mainly on the DMT, c) people who take Rue-based brews focusing mainly on the DMT.
The experience of group B will resemble the experience of group C more than it will the experience of group A, in spite of the fact that group B is drinking the same brew as group a and a different brew from group C.
Groups B & C often have terrifying and traumatic experiences, especially with high DMT content. Group A experiences are not so traumatic because, when you have a relationship with the Vine, you are never alone. She accompanies you with her caring presence no matter how deep you go.
Also, group A tends to discover that there is no correlation between how deep an experience is and how visual it is — there is no correlation between how deeply you go into the cave and how bright your torch is. Sometimes people decide that they can have a deeper spiritual experience with a candle than with a floodlight. After all, they are accompanied by a wise Guide who will not let them fall.
But if you are alone in that strange cave, with a bright torch to see the incomprehensible, the experience can be very different. Even with a Caapi-based brew, if you are not attuned to the Caapi, it is like you are alone in there.
(Unless, of course, you have a shaman to guide you.)
To the Indians, Ayahuasca (the Vine) is the Mother of all Plants. She teaches humans how to communicate with plants. She led people to the admixtures and told them they were her helpers.
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Rue is nice to have around for MAOI — it does seem to work as an anti-depressants agent on its own, does the trick for MAOI but, seems to me a shortcut for the real deal — the vine.
Just seems, IMO, rue/addmixture is more of a ‘singular’ experience as opposed to an ongoing path that is followed, with a more detailed ‘how to’ manual to study along the way.
Also with no other mixtures rue alone is just plain icky ???
whereas the vine seems it can be taken in larger amounts with much more profound insights and less body load.
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I’ve been using Rue exclusively lately, money being somewhat scarce these days. I’m beginning to find a different entity all together with rue than that of the vine. The vine seemed to have more enduring benefits, an amazing “I’m ALIVE” feeling, and the insights were much more understandable and tangible, something I could bring back.
The rue brings a strange alien vibe to the experience, and it has benefits as well, but the overall healthy holy afterglow I got from the vine it seems to lack.
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The after effects between caapi and rue are quite different. The rue combination brings him from slightly down and dysphoric to neutral and dysphoric while the caapi combo takes him to happy and optimistic and at times, slightly euphoric.
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rue + admix visuals tend to be bright light almost circus colors in the red/pinkish red, yellow and light blue tones. The overall journey tends to feel more “heady” with a tendency to a lot of thinking
caapi + admix visuals are more in the dark blood red, deep purples, dark greens, and dark gold color range with a more deeply lumious quality, while the overall journey seems to be much more embodied and grounded with stronger physical energetic, kundalini-ish component. Overall more blissful.
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Visually the vine does seem to go for much more deeper darker organic colors and rue much more electric with vibrant reds, oranges and works on a higher frequency-faster spin, sometime leading to ‘bed spins’ as opposed to more of a immersed feel into self.
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As for the rue, there are several reasons that it’s rather unpopular around here. first — rue is quite unpleasent in taste and smell, and is full of tannins and toxic chemicals that make it difficult to keep down (and that can be hazardous to your health!)
second is sort of a two part answer. First, ayahuasca is a vine, not just a tea — the b caapi vine itself is called ayahuasca. traditionally, you can’t have an ayahuasca brew without ayahuasca; the focus of the ceremony is on the vine itself, with the admixtures–sometimes ones that don’t contain any dmt–considered very important helper plants, but not ayahuasca itself.
of course, it’s silly to hang on to tradition for tradition’s sake. but aside from the traditional emphasis on the ayahuasca vine, ime it seems that rue and caapi are different teachers. they have fairly similar chemical signatures, yes, but not equivelant ones. The experiences engendered by each plant are different. ime, the vine just has more experience working with humans, and plays a greater role actually interacting and guiding the experience; the rue, on the other hand, just kinda says “here ya go!!” and leaves it at that. they are both useful, but in somewhat different ways. caapi gives one a more centered, controlled experience, while rue just kinda throws you into the stratosphere and says good luck.
i’d also highly recomend against chewing the seeds. you really don’t want to do that. (well, i’m not you, maybe you do want to do that . . . ) chewing the seeds will make it much more difficult to keep down than a rue tea, and they really don’t taste good!
also, using only rue with no admixture is a very different experience than caapi with no admixture–again, they are different teachers. eating some rue will not help you get to know the ayahuasca spirit. as i’ve said, in my experience at least, the rue tends not to take a very strong role in the ayahuasca experience; while caapi makes its presence known, rue tends to let the admixture shine through while staying in the background.
of course, this is all based on my own experience. everyone needs different things and experiences things differently, which is why i do think that rue can be a valuable ally. it isn’t the same as the vine, but that doesn’t make it useless or bad. to figure out what you need and want, you of course need to examine your own experience, which will take some time and some experiences to examine.
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